Business Digest Radio

Congressman Jeff Crank joins The Business Signal for a wide-ranging discussion about the federal decisions shaping Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District and the Southern Colorado economy.
Crank addresses the anticipated relocation of U.S. Space Command and argues that the loss will be outweighed by new Space Force investments. He identifies three major developments: a proposed space operations center, the relocation of a space-infrastructure acquisition office and a significant expansion of Space Force training at Peterson. In Crank’s assessment, these investments could strengthen Colorado Springs’ position as a center for military space operations while attracting additional contractors, suppliers and technical talent.
The conversation moves beyond defense to examine economic diversification, federal tax policy, inflation, energy costs and the national debt. Crank defends extending existing tax provisions and targeted relief for working families, while acknowledging that the country’s fiscal trajectory will eventually require difficult reductions in federal spending.
Housing receives particular attention. Crank discusses legislation intended to help builders pay down a portion of a first-time buyer’s student debt, while conceding that increasing purchasing power without expanding housing supply could place additional pressure on prices. He also outlines his opposition to state-level building and energy mandates that he believes increase construction costs.
The interview further explores constitutional limits on federal authority, congressional ethics, stock trading by public officials and the distinction between compromise on matters of judgment and conviction on foundational principles.
Crank closes by reflecting on congressional service, the economic diversity of the district and the importance of receiving constructive criticism.

Melissa Scruggs, president of Colorado Springs-based Financial Talent Group, joins host Dirk Hobbs for a candid conversation about one of the most consequential and complicated decisions any organization makes: hiring the right person.
Today’s online hiring systems can process hundreds of applications, yet qualified candidates are often overlooked by automated filters before a meaningful conversation ever takes place. At the same time, employers must look well beyond technical skills and experience to understand a candidate’s temperament, leadership style, communication habits and compatibility with the organization.
Scruggs explains why successful recruiting requires a distinctly human approach. The conversation explores changing workplace expectations across generations, compensation, organizational culture and the questions employers should ask to better understand how someone is likely to perform once placed in a position.
For job seekers, Melissa offers perspective on presenting their experience and capabilities in an increasingly AI-driven employment market. For employers, she examines the importance of looking beyond the résumé to identify people who can contribute, adapt and grow.
It is an insightful discussion about restoring judgment, relationships and humanity to the hiring process.
Learn more here: https://financialtalentgroup.com 

Three trusted Southern Colorado meteorologists. Decades of experience. A new way to deliver the forecast.
Matt Meister, Merry Matthews, and Rachael Plath have spent decades forecasting and communicating Southern Colorado weather for broadcast television. Now, they’re bringing that deep local knowledge together in a new online format with Peaks2Plains Weather.
The mission is simple: combine experienced meteorologists, powerful forecasting technology, and a deep understanding of Colorado’s unique weather patterns to provide detailed, specific, and reliable forecasts - available 24 hours a day.
Because Colorado weather isn’t one-size-fits-all. What matters in Colorado Springs can be very different from what’s happening in the mountains, on the plains, or along the Front Range.
Peaks2Plains Weather is built to help you understand not just what the forecast says, but what it means for your travel, events, work, and outdoor plans.
Local expertise + powerful technology + Colorado-focused forecasting.
Learn more at https://peaks2plainsweather.com/
#Peaks2PlainsWeather #ColoradoWeather #Meteorology #WeatherForecast #SouthernColorado #Colorado
 

Swisspod, a leading developer of hyperloop technology, has crossed several milestones in transportation during its second U.S. Hyperloop Day event, unveiling the world’s largest hyperloop test track, presenting Aerys 1, its first hyperloop capsule model, and performance of successful record-breaking live tests.
Denis Tudor, Ph.D. is the co-founder and CEO of Swisspod Technologies, a Swiss-American transportation technology company founded in 2019. Swisspod is developing hyperloop-type transportation systems for both freight and eventually passengers—essentially electrically propelled vehicles traveling through low-pressure tubes to dramatically reduce aerodynamic drag.
Tudor is Romanian-born, apparently born in 1994, making him roughly 31–32. His academic credentials are unusually relevant to the company he's running. He graduated valedictorian from Politehnica University of Bucharest in 2017, earning his bachelor's degree in electronics/telecommunications engineering. He subsequently went to Switzerland's prestigious École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he completed a Ph.D. focused specifically on the optimal design and operation of hyperloop transportation systems.
He remains associated with EPFL as a scientific consultant in its Distributed Electrical Systems Laboratory.
Why Pueblo matters
This is where I think Tudor becomes particularly relevant to The Business Signal/Digest.
Swisspod isn't merely talking about Colorado as a future market. Pueblo is becoming one of the central proving grounds for its technology.
Swisspod is developing its major U.S. test facility in Pueblo in partnership with MxV Rail and PuebloPlex. Tudor has described it as a full-scale facility intended to validate long-haul hyperloop operation.
The planned facility occupies roughly 40 acres (162,000 square meters) and uses a closed-loop configuration designed to allow repeated long-distance-equivalent testing rather than simply firing a vehicle down a short straight test track.
And they've moved beyond renderings.
Recent reporting and Tudor's own updates indicate that Swisspod has now operated its full-scale AERYS vehicle in Pueblo, with continuing increases in demonstrated speed. Tudor's current profile reports 146 km/h (about 91 mph) for AERYS 1 and says the company is developing AERYS 2, a fully contactless vehicle intended for substantially higher speeds and eventually incorporating a passenger seat.
https://swisspod.com 

A 200-year-old Argentine winemaking legacy has crossed the Andes - and entered the American Rockies through Colorado Springs.
 
The Business Signal sat down with respected banking executive and community leader, Shawn Gullixson, whose unexpected journey into Argentina’s wine industry began at a Harvard executive course in Cambridge.
Shawn met Finca Los Maza owner Alex Campbell. Later, Shawn and his wife, Mattie, traveled to Argentina  and fell in love with its people, hospitality and deeply rooted wine culture.
 
Mr. Gullixson is now an owner and partner in the historic vineyard, nestled in the Uco Valley at the foot of the Andes. For nearly two years, he and his partners have worked to build a direct business bridge between Argentina and Colorado - bringing Finca Los Maza’s highly rated wines, including its celebrated Malbec, to restaurants and retailers throughout the Pikes Peak region.
 
Kick back and enjoy this fascinating conversation about wine, relationships, entrepreneurship and bringing a centuries-old Argentine tradition to a new American audience.  https://www.flmwines.com/
#TheBusinessSignal #FincaLosMaza #ColoradoSprings #ArgentineWine #UcoValley #ColoradoBusiness #KVOR 

More than 600 bills reviewed. Thirty-six identified as having significant implications for Southern Colorado businesses.
Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lola Woloch and Legislative Policy Committee Chair Tammy Cameron - a former Washington, D.C., lobbyist - join host Dirk Hobbs on The So. Colorado Business Signal on KVOR/AM740.
They discuss the legislation local employers should be watching, the Chamber’s growing public-policy role and its expansion into Pueblo County.
Lola also takes us inside the 32nd annual Accolades Awards, celebrating the women whose leadership, entrepreneurship and service are strengthening Southern Colorado’s economy.
Listen and watch: https://socodigest.com/radio
@Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce@Lola Woloch@Tammy Cameron@Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest@KVOR
#SouthernColorado #ColoradoBusiness #SmallBusiness #WomenInBusiness #BusinessLeadership #PublicPolicy #ColoradoLegislature #PuebloCounty #ColoradoSprings #TheBusinessSignal

Dr. Larry Plummer, El Pomar Chair for Business and Entrepreneurship at UCCS joins host Dirk Hobbs to discuss insights on how southern Colorado is uniquely positioned to facilitate and champion the onramp of regional entrepreneurs from every industry. 
Dr. Plummer walks us through the evolution of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystems and the assets in the region that are currently in place and those still in development. He also clarifies what entrepreneurship is and what it is not, and how it is different from innovation. A rich conversation for those seeking to understand how to navigate the entrepreneurial landsape.
"The pursuit of opportunity"
Dr. Larry Plummer is also the Director (Interim), El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization (EPIIC) and Director, Center for Entrepreneurship at UCCS College of Business. 
To learn more about EPIIC, go to: https://epiic.uccs.edu/. To learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurship, visit: https://business.uccs.edu/resources/entrepreneurship , and to learn more about UCCS's College of Business, go to: https://business.uccs.edu/ 
 

Special Program Director, Luke Doster and Communications Administrator Ariana Pasquini join host, Dirk Hobbs on the new Southern Colorado Business Signal to welcome founders, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, students, and community leaders as Southern Colorado to come together to celebrate innovation, build meaningful connections, and launch the next generation of great companies. A packed week of interactive presentations, subject matter experts and demos fills next week's event from Monday August 24 through Friday end of day, wrapping up with Pitch Competitions where the audience will join three judges for companies competing for $15,000.00 
This week has so far attracted over 1,000 attendees and will be hosted in several Colorado Springs locations and in Florence, Colorado at the Emergent Campus.
Event hosts include: EPIIC, Exponential Impact, Catalyst Campus, and Emergent Campus
REGISTER: https://socostartupweek.com/ 
ABOUT EPIIC
The University of Colorado’s El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization (EPIIC) was created in the spring of 2008 at The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS).  The creation of EPIIC was part of a reorganization of a former campus unit, the Colorado Institute for Technology Transfer and Implementation (CITTI).  CITTI was originally established in 1991 through a grant from the El Pomar Foundation, which was matched by the University of Colorado.

William "Bill" Craighead, Ph.D. - Program Director at UCCS's Economic Forum, joins host Dirk Hobbs on the So. Colorado Business Signal to discuss southern Colorado's overall economic health. 
Dr. Craighead discusses key variables across the spectrum from housing to sales tax, building permits to interest rates and how those factors are playing out in the region. 
UCCS will host the 30th Annual Economic Forum on October 28, 2026 to be held at the Ent Center for the Arts. Registration opens soon: https://business.uccs.edu/economic-forum 
 

Reclaiming Civility co-founders Lisa Brandt and Lori Leander join host Dirk Hobbs on this episode of The Business Signal.
This is The S. Colorado Business Digest's new broadcast programs airing from 1-2pm MST Monday through Friday on AM740/KVOR, then on Spotify and iHeart podcast and YouTube. 
Reclaiming Civility is a Colorado Springs-based organization working to restore something increasingly important in workplaces and communities: the ability to communicate, disagree and resolve conflict while maintaining respect for one another.
Founded by Lisa Brandt and Lori Leander, Reclaiming Civility goes beyond traditional etiquette. Its mission is to help people understand and cultivate civility as a mindset—and then develop practical skills to put it into action. Through training and workshops for businesses, individuals and community organizations, the organization focuses on emotional intelligence, active listening, effective communication, conflict resolution and navigating difficult conversations.
For employers, the business case is particularly relevant: poor communication and unresolved conflict can undermine teamwork, productivity, morale and relationships. Reclaiming Civility seeks to equip leaders and employees with practical tools to build healthier, more respectful and collaborative workplace cultures.